Heritage's Batten fine with specializing in defense off bench for Boo's stars

Lynn Burke247-4961

NEWPORT NEWS — When he stepped onto the basketball court wearing Heritage High School's jersey last season, junior Dimitri Batten's role was clear. As the veteran, a starter since his freshman year, Batten needed to be the Hurricanes' spark on offense.

He was, finishing among the leading scorers in the Peninsula District.

Fast forward to tonight, when he plays for the Boo Williams Summer League's 17-under team in the Boo Williams Nike Invitational. With such players as Andre Dawkins, Kendall Marshall and Travis McKie on the roster, points aren't hard to come by. That means the role changes significantly for Batten, who is in his first year on the BWSL's top team.

First, he's not needed to score a bunch of points.

"My job is to be the stopper," he said. "I'm looking to help my team out on the defensive end. I'll play tight defense."

Second, he's not a starter.

"That's what most coaches like, players who can come off the bench and be strong," he said. "Off the bench, I'm used to it because you have to come off the bench sometime.

"Roles do change. If he can handle that in this situation, when he goes to the next level, college, if his role changes again, he'll be able to handle it," Williams said.

"The biggest thing is to get a kid to accept it. Sometimes you get a kid who won't accept that role; he wants to do what he did in high school. That's a problem because in every level you play at, your role might change."

So how does Batten fit into Williams' plans?

"In high school, he was a scorer, but here we need him to shut down people, to hustle and make plays," Williams said.

"He's a good defensive player, plus he plays hard. He's a tough player. He'll go after it. That's his role for us."

Unlike some players, who are still trying to impress college coaches, Batten's post-high-school plans are set in basketball and in the classroom.

He committed to play for Old Dominion before his junior year at Heritage began. Besides liking the basketball program, he wants to major in engineering and one day own his own company. ODU has an extensive engineering program.

But first comes the summer-long odyssey that is AAU basketball, where Batten will travel the country, facing some of the nation's top players.

The ultimate goal? It's two-fold.

"To get me ready for college and to play against better people," he said. "In high school you're not always playing against the top players."

"We talk before every game how we want to win the national championship," said Batten, who has played in Williams' program since he was 9. "We've come close twice, in 15-under and 16-under, but we haven't won it."

At a glance WHERE: Boo Williams Sportsplex, WHEN: Today's first games are at 6 p.m.ADMISSION: A three-day pass is $25. Single-day is $15.PARKING: Free on site, but limited.